The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1887-07-06


awaiting the coroner's in
quest, now in progress. The tramping
of a hundred feet had rendered any salts
factory examination of tracks Immediately
about the scene impracticable; but, for
tunately, the people who had gathered had
not sufficiently recovered from the first
effects of the shock to prosecute their inyesti-
CATION beyond very narrow limits.
Still governed by the impetuous move
ments of my ardent friend, soon found
myself following with him, a track, south
ward, across the plowed part of the field.
This track, when first seen, indicated
person travelling in an ordinary walk,
and there was, so far, nothing peculiarly
observable in the footprints. They might,
apparently, have been made by any
one wearing common coarse No.
boot or shoe. But some 200 yards away
as I followed Blake, who was walking
rapidly, heard him exclaim: Look, Gully
For Gods sake, lookp was looking by
this time at the iRprint of the track we were
pursuing, where the culprit had stepped
upon the surface, smooth as glass, of the up
turned mold, leaving as perfect an impress of
the left foot as If it had been made in putty
prepared for the purpose. Every smallest
detail of the sole and heel of the boot lay
there. And what added to the interest and
importance of was the fact that there were
marks to distinguish it from 10000 other
tracks, In short, as Blake said: eff every
man in the county were to make track with 4
his left foot in this field, there would be but
one like this and that one would be the track
of the left foot of Dave Carr's murderer"
The boot had been mended The wearer
had worn off the sole exactly ON the ball of
the foot back of the great toe, the size of
silver dollar, while the sole elsewhere APP
peared to be but slightly worn. The cobbler
in mending the boot had pegged thick,
round piece of leather here, the imprint
whereof was perfect in every detail, even to
the pegs. The heel on the inner edge had
also been worn away and had been mended
by triangular piece of heavy sole leather,
fastened with iron tacks or nails with heavy,
square heads, while row of smaller tacks had
been driven around the rest of the heel, and
into the centre of the heel one of the large
square-headed tacks had been driven; but,
as if afraid if sent home it would go through
the heel and plague the wearer, 1t had been
left about the sixteenth of an inch above the
surface.
Fastening to a fallen poplar tree Blake
procured some bark. He came back pant
ing with excitement He was noted for his
ingenuity, having been bred carpenter and
joiner. He proceeded with patience quite
surprising TO reproduce out of the bark the
sole and heel of the culprits left shoe. In
twenty minutes his work was so well done
that when he laid the wrought bark down
and gently pressed it into the mold by plac-
ing his foot upon 1t, no one on its removal
could have distinguished the two imprints.
The patch on the sole, the wooden pegs, the
triangular piece on the heel with the square
heel, all were there
But there was one thought at first vaguely
intruding itself upon my mind, now found
growing upon me, until at length could not
dismiss it; and yet, specifically considered,
it appeared illogical and most improbable.
But it grew so overbcaring that at length
startled my companion by exclaiming in
voluntarily:
"why, Blake, this track was made by de-
sign p
Yes he said, after moments silence,
and with unusual solemnity for him. Eyes,
it was made by design--the design of an all
wise Providence-to save an innocent MAJ,
from prison, and possibly the halter,''t
This reception Of my suggestio / in nj WISE
shook my still growing conviction.
''If in pursuing this rack we find other
imprints of this same foot on other smooth
surfaces of mold like this, and you observe
that they are not numerous considering that
this is fallow land, what viii you say then7n
l went on. THAT Providence still cares for
His own. Gomez he said, rising and start
ing southwark along the trail of the culprit
And, sure enough, we had not proceeded
twenty PAGES when we came upon another
glass-like section of the upturned mold, and
10 squarely upon the smooth and shining
face lay the print of the same left foot, not
peg nor tack wanting, not an outline
blurred.
"What say you now9" cried, with an air
and feeling of triumph How do you ac-